Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
October 27, 2017 - VOLUME 39, ISSUE 7
Clemens Crossing Elementary School
Elizabeth Yankle, Assistant Principal
Website: cces.hcpss.org
Location: 10320 Quarterstaff Road, Columbia, MD, United States
Phone: 410-313-6866
Facebook: facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
Twitter: @hcpss_cces
Events Coming Up
October
- 31 - Halloween Parade, 2:45 pm
November
- 1 - National American Indian Heritage Month starts
- 1 - Pumpkin Run during PE for grades 3-5
- 2 - JA-in-a-Day
- 3 - Bingo Night, 7:00 pm
- 6 - Individual Picture Make-ups
- 8 - Conference scheduling opens in HCPSS Connect, 9:00 am
- 8 - 5th Grade Field Trip - Living Classroom (Haube/Lee)
- 8 - PTA meeting, 7:00 pm
- 9 - 5th Grade Field Trip - Living Classroom (Halvorson/Greenlee)
- 10 - End of Marking Period
- 10 - Veterans Day Celebration, 9:30 am
- 10 - Spirit Day - Red, White, and Blue
- 13 - American Education Week starts
- 13 - Book Fair Begins
- 14 - 2nd grade - Tell Me a Tale w/HC Library
- 15 - Kindergarten field trip to Howard County Library
- 16 - Kindergarten field trip to Howard County Library
- 16 - School Play
- 17 - Conference scheduling closes in HCPSS Connect, 4:00 pm
- 17 - Report Cards Issued
- 20 - 3-hour Early Dismissal - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- 21 - 3-hour Early Dismissal - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- 21 - Book Fair Ends
- 22 - Schools Closed - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- 23 - Schools Closed - Thanksgiving Day
- 24 - Schools Closed - Thanksgiving Weekend
- 29 - In-School Banking, 9:00 am
From School Administration
Did you know that we have a school improvement plan at Clemens Crossing? Continuous school improvement is essential to creating an effective educational learning environment for our students. Each year, various forms of data are used to create, monitor, and evaluate our school improvement plan. Additionally, target areas are established to provide benchmarks for student achievement and growth. Our plan also outlines action steps we use to accomplish our goals for the year. Here at Clemens Crossing, we are always striving to improve our learning environment. We regularly meet to ensure that our staff and community are aware of our learning and behavioral goals that we have developed. In addition to our school improvement plan, PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) strategies are used to improve the educational setting and environment so children can learn in a positive environment. A copy of our School Improvement Plan Snapshot is available below.
Staff Spotlight - Theresa Webster, Reading Specialist
Mrs. Webster comes from a family of educators. Her parents were both teachers. Her mother started to work at her elementary school when she was in the third grade. Her father was a principal until he retired the year before Mrs. Webster started teaching.
Mrs. Webster attended St. Mary's College of Maryland where she earned her Bachelor's Degree. She has two Master's degrees; one from UMBC and one from Loyola University of Maryland. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, making jewelry, going to the beach, and spending time with her family. Her husband, John, is a high school government teacher at Howard High Shcool. Her oldest son, Kevin, is a senior at Towson University, and her youngest son, Michael is a sophomore at Mt. Hebron High School. She also has a Plott Hound named Toby.
American Education Week
During American Education Week, November 13—17, 2017, Americans nationwide will join the National Education Association (NEA) in raising awareness about the need to provide every child with a quality public education. The celebration highlights the importance of bringing together educators, parents, students, and communities in a unified effort to build great public schools. It also reflects NEA's vision of calling upon America to provide public school students with quality schools so that they can grow and achieve in the 21st century. As part of the celebration, we provide parents and guardians the opportunity to visit their child’s classroom during the week. Feel free to visit your child's classroom any day during the week. Please refer to the CCES Master Schedule below to help you guide your visitation.
When you visit, please be prepared to sign-in through the Lobby Guard kiosk in the office. You will need your driver's license to sign-in with Lobby Guard. As a reminder, we do not allow younger children in the classrooms when parents visit. Additionally, we ask for visitors to reframe from using their phones in the classroom. Please put your phone on silence or vibrate. If you need to use your phone or devise for any reason, please go to the front lobby or outside the building.
We look forward to our continued partnership in your child's education, and we are excited to see you in school during American Education Week.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Fall Conferences
Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for November 20, 21, and 22. Conferences will be with homeroom teachers. In order to schedule conferences, you will need to login to HCPSS Connect. HCPSS Connect will open to schedule conferences on Wednesday, November 8 at 9:00 a.m. The program will be open until Friday, November 17 at 4:00 p.m. The directions for parent conference registration linked here from the HCPSS website. You can also download the directions from the icon below. If you have any questions, please call the front office at 410-313-6866.
Please note: This is the only conference period for the school year. There was no conference window built into the schedule for February or March.
Math Conferences
If you are in need of a math conference, please schedule a time with your child's math teacher at any time during the school year.
Veterans Day
Cryptologic Warfare Group 6 Navy Honor Guard from Ft. Meade will present the colors to help celebrate Veterans Day at CCES. Students will raise the United States flag out front, and then the entire student body will recite the Pledge of Allegiance. To finish the program, students in the chorus will lead the rest of the school in singing the National Anthem.
If you are active or retired military, please join us on Veterans Day. We will announce your name and your child's name at the beginning of our program. Please email Mr. Cosentino at ecosentino@hcpss.org if you would like to be part of our program.
IXL Language Arts and Mathematics
Every student at Clemens Crossing has an IXL account. Students practice IXL math at school and at home. Teachers access reports to monitor student progress as they progress through the skills and levels. Your child’s teacher sent home the IXL login information recently.
Annual Federal Impact Aid Survey
Over the next few days, your child/children will be bringing home the Annual Federal Impact Aid Survey. Please use a No. 2 pencil and fill in all the bubbles completely as well as the worksite information. If either/both parent(s) or guardian(s) are currently working on a federally owned property in the State of Maryland or are serving in active military anywhere in the world as of the date of the survey, please fill out the form.
We appreciate your returning the original form as soon as possible without any folds, staples, or otherwise marked or torn.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Upcoming School Spirit Days
Below, you will find information about school spirit days through the end of December.
FRIDAYS - Wear Your Team's Colors
*Unless there is another specified spirit day on a Friday.
11/2 - Dress for Success Day for JA in a Day
11/10 - Wear red, white, & blue for Veterans Day
11/17 - CCES Day for American Education Week
12/20 - Winter Wonderland Day & 12/22 - Pajama Day
PTA Book Fair is Coming
The Book Fair is coming to CCES November 13-21! It will run every day after school in the Media Center. We need volunteers to help with set-up, to bring in food for the teacher preview on 11/10, and to help work the fair each afternoon. Please sign up to help here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080948aaa62fabf49-book Even if you can't volunteer, please come shop (with or without your children- the holidays are coming!). All sales will benefit CCES students. Contact Dani Gardner (dnr318@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
PTA Membership
We have achieved membership levels of 100% for staff and nearly 50% of the families! And all of this without a working online registration and donation website -- thank you for your overwhelming support and patience.
Our website is now up and working! A huge thank you to Brian Nelson, Heather Richardson, and Mary Ngo for their dedication to getting the website fully functional.
Now with the website up and working, I would like to share all of the wonderful ways you can sign up and donate to the CCES PTA.
- Send a completed registration form and payment (cash or check) with your child to school.
- Find me (Hyung Chang) at any one of our many PTA events and give me your completed registration form and payment.
- Go to our website (www.clemenscrossingpta.org), click on "Join the PTA and Donate - Family Membership", complete the online form and payment (pay by credit card)
- For families with Paypal accounts, transfer payment to treasurer@clemenscrossingpta.org, then email me your name, child(ren)'s name/grade/teacher, membership type (single or family), and donation amount. Transferring from your own account (instead of a credit card) will save us processing fees!
- If you have any other method you would like to use, please email me -- hschang23@gmail.com.
Your PTA Membership cards and magnets will be sent home with your child by the end of next week. Again, thank you for your patience and understanding as I am late getting these out to you. If you do not receive your membership cards or magnets by next Friday 11/3, please email me.
Thank you for your support. We do make a difference!
Open PTA positions
We are still looking for volunteers for the following PTA positions:
- Talent Show
- Room Parent for Related Arts Teachers
- CAC Representative
Please email Karen Pang (president@clemenscrossingpta.org) if you can help!
Reminder: Send in those Box Tops!
Clemens Crossing receives cash for your Box Tops! Remember to cut them out and send them in with your child. Each grade level has a collection bin -- the more Box Tops your grade brings in, the more cash your child's class receives! Box Tops are collected all year-round.
Questions? Contact Angela Stark, stark.angela@gmail.com
National PTA Reflections Creative Arts & Writing Contest
Sponsored by: PTA Reflections, 40 Years of Achievement in the Arts
2017-2018 Theme:
“Within Reach”
Last year, a Clemens Crossing student advanced to the State Level, and
two Howard County students won prizes at the National Level!
This year, it could be you.
Reflections is a National PTA program to encourage all children to participate in the arts for fun and recognition. Students work independently to present their artistic interpretation of this year's theme. Works can be:
literature
including prose, poetry, drama, reflective essay, narrative, short story;
visual art
such as drawing, painting, collage; and
musical composition
There is also a Special Artist Division for students with disabilities who receive services under IDEA or Section 504.
Reflect on the theme above & create an original work
in one (or more!) of the following categories: Literature, Music, Visual Arts
Winners in each category in three divisions:
Primary (K-2nd grade)
Intermediate (3rd-5th grade)
Special Artist (for students with challenges as covered in the ADA)
NEW THIS YEAR:
Students may publish their Reflections Literature Entries in the Paw Print Press!
If students wish to create a piece of writing based on the theme “Within Reach”, they can then illustrate it for their Paw Print Press book this year!
ENTRIES DUE NOVEMBER 15, 2017
Turn in entries to the front office.
ALL entries will be displayed and celebrated at the Enrichment Fair!
Entries will be reviewed by experienced arts and education judges. All participants will be celebrated with certificates of participation, the top three entries will receive ribbons and the first place entry will receive a medal. The top three entries in each category will move on to the Howard County Reflections Contest, the top three county entries will move on to the Maryland State Reflections Contest, and state winners in each category will compete in the National PTA Reflections Contest.
QUESTIONS?
Summary of Rules and link to Entry Form:
http://clemenscrossingpta.org/events/pta-reflections/
Contact Risa Carlson, Reflections Chair
Email: